Suitcase And Adventureshttps://suitcaseandadventures.com
Ready - Set - TravelWed, 27 Jun 2018 11:10:55 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8https://i1.wp.com/suitcaseandadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cropped-cropped-suitcase-and-adventures...png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Suitcase And Adventureshttps://suitcaseandadventures.com
3232113606336Coco is going to Dogfesthttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-is-going-to-dogfest/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-is-going-to-dogfest/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2018 11:10:55 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=584Coco is off to Dogfest For anyone who hasn’t heard of Dogfest before it is a paw-fect day out for all dog lovers. It is hosted by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick. It is a day that is fun-filled and action-packed, not just for your dog but for you too. There will be lots of have-a-go-activities which […]

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Dogfest before it is a paw-fect day out for all dog lovers. It is hosted by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick. It is a day that is fun-filled and action-packed, not just for your dog but for you too.

There will be lots of have-a-go-activities which I can’t wait to trial Coco with. Fun shows to watch, expert advice if needed to help keep our fur baby healthy and happy. Food and drink village to keep our energy levels up and quench that thirst for the fun ahead. Bespoke dog shopping area, arena displays, live music and so much more!

Dogfest is the largest dog gathering in the UK which we know Coco will absolutely LOVE being such a friendly dog. There will be a charity walk taking place twice a day around the festival grounds. I am so looking forward to watching the doggy dancing and if Coco is up for it then even take part in the have-a-go session – I can picture Ian already hiding.

Paw-some

There is one have-a-go activity that we all know Coco will LOVE and that is the diving. Our girl LOVES water. At home she sits in her paddling pool when empty waiting for you to fill it up – once there is water in it there is no getting her out.

Temptation Alley is another we are looking forward to trialing Coco with – Can she be tempted…..We will let you know. There is also Hay Bale racing, that looks awesome. It was said to be the most popular feature last year, enjoyed by many dogs and their owners.

We will have to go and see if Coco can make it as a teacher’s pet, at School 4 Dogs. It is said that even the most disobedient dogs can become a teacher’s pet. There are programs designed to teach you to how to train your dog. There is even a have-a-go where you can pick up some top tips from the professionals to use in everyday life with your fur baby.

New to Dogfest 2018 is the Hound Hangout. This is said to be the place to go if you want to meet some dogs of Instagram. Word has it that some famous talented dogs may even be making an appearance. We will be keeping an eye out!

It all sounds like great fun

We are also looking forward to the opportunity to meet a whole host of extraordinary hard-working dogs that help serve our community. It will be an amazing opportunity to gain an insight into their hard work and learn more about how they are trained. Dogs such as police assistance dogs, medical detection dogs team and dogs from the team of the fire service. Hopefully Coco may be shown a skill or two.

The dog activity ring looks like another fun place to be. There is a jam-packed programme full of fun demos and displays. ShadowQuest Dog Display is on our must-see list. Word also has it that there is an abseiling stunt and even a zip wire – now these I must see. The list of fun activities look amazing. For more listings and details do pop over to the Dogfest website.

Don’t miss out on the action – you can purchase tickets from the Dogfest website. We will be attending Dogfest at Knebworth 7th/8th July. Kid’s are welcome too and are also encouraged to take part if they wish. There will be a kid’s area that looks great fun.

If you do purchase a ticket and attend we hope you have a paw-some day!

***Disclaimer*** – We have been gifted tickets to attend Dogfest at Knebworth 7th/8th July in exchange for an honest review of our day. A full write-up of our day to follow.

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-is-going-to-dogfest/feed/0584The Murder Express Londonhttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/murder-express-london/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/murder-express-london/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2018 17:58:39 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=545The Murder Express Theater And Dining Experience All aboard – there is a glamorous retro express steam train in town and it’s on its way to the French fictional town of Murder. Leaving from London’s Pedley Street Station. But…..Be warned, there is a difference. This journey will have you embroiled in a murder-mystery. Not only […]

All aboard – there is a glamorous retro express steam train in town and it’s on its way to the French fictional town of Murder. Leaving from London’s Pedley Street Station. But…..Be warned, there is a difference. This journey will have you embroiled in a murder-mystery. Not only will you be on the edge of your seats – you could also be a suspect!

Funicular productions will be transporting their passengers through an immersive theatre and dining experience. Set back in the 19th century for an Agatha Christie’s-Esque for a very fun and entertaining “who-dunnit” type of murder mystery.

I went along with Lee and Bradley, Lee’s girlfriend also joined us. We all felt rather excited and also a little nervous as we didn’t know what to expect. But we all relaxed from the moment we arrived on platform and we got to meet some of the characters – wheeler-dealer Frank (who we all found rather funny) – Love struck waiter – Cliff the antiques dealer and also Vera the widow – a cowboy and Tilly…just to name a few!

Whilst we waited for the train to depart we enjoyed drinks at the 7Sins Platform Bar. I had a lovely cocktail called “The Conductor” whilst the teens all enjoyed mocktails.

The conductors whistle was then blown, meaning it was time to board the classic dining carriage. As we boarded our first thoughts was “WOW” – The teens said “this isn’t like a train we have been on before” – The carriage was man made and fitted out with luxury leather booths that comfortably seat six people. There was five tables either side of the carriage and virtual windows for effect.

The food was amazing

Once seated in our very comfortable booths the waiter then came and took our drinks order. We was then served our lovely three course meal. Our meal was beautifully crafted by MasterChefs 2016 finalists Billy and Jack.

We sat back and watched the tail set in the golden age of rail travel, there are many twists and turns to the whole story. The big question is will you be able to solve the who dunnit mystery?

We enjoyed an amazing three course meal. We were served:

Starters was Mulligatawny Soup, with mini Indian spiced open cucumber sandwiches.

This was followed by an amazing mains which was – Butlers steak, stuffed and pressed scollop potatoes and savoy cabbage.

Finishing with an apple tart with a lovely dollop of clotted cream.

They do offer a vegetarian option and also cater for dietary requirements upon request at time of booking.

After dinner the actors came round to chat with us at our table to ask our thoughts to who we think done it and why. Silence on the carriage….shh – The murderer is then revealed!

Are you brave enough?

We don’t want to say too much or give anything away about what happens next at the risk of spoiling your visit. But what we will say is that you will have an unforgettable immersive journey on-board this express train where you could be amongest the list of suspects – or even be the detective!

Whilst we was eating our meal we really enjoyed watching the story unfold. We loved the way the characters interacted with us all at our table. Our lips are are now sealed from this point on. You will have to discover the rest for yourself.

Our thoughts

The whole experience from the show to the food was exceptional. The acting was brilliant and the story was easy to follow. We love a murder mystery but this was an enjoyable one with a huge difference and lots of laughter. There was no note pad and pen, no board game, no stage or even TV in front of you – it is all happening around you!

There was a lot of debate going on amongest myself and the teens. We all thought it was someone different. After a bit of debate we all come together and agreed on a suspect. We was right, well lets just say well we thought we was anyway!

Brad took a liking to the cowboys hat

It was great to see the teens enjoying themselves, they really enjoyed this experience. They found the actors to be highly funny and they loved playing the detective. They was glued to watching the performance and even found themselves chatting away to the actors when they was at our table interacting with us.

Fancy playing detective? Love a murder mystery? then this is definateley for you. Are you brave enough to board this express train? if you do then please do let us know what you thought. Don’t miss your train you can book your tickets via Funicular website. The experience lasts for roughly two hours. Food is included in your ticket price and drinks are sold separately. This experience is suitable for ages 14+.

***Disclaimer – We was gifted tickets in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own***

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/murder-express-london/feed/0545Bradley’s NCS Adventurehttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/bradleys-ncs-adventure/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/bradleys-ncs-adventure/#respondThu, 14 Jun 2018 23:46:38 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=488Bradley’s NCS Adventure National Citizen Service Its is not long now until Bradley goes off on his travels for most of July eek. He will be setting off on his own to take part in an NCS (National Citizen Service) adventure. Brad came home from school one day and asked if he could go away […]

Its is not long now until Bradley goes off on his travels for most of July eek. He will be setting off on his own to take part in an NCS (National Citizen Service) adventure.

Brad came home from school one day and asked if he could go away with NCS. To be honest we had not even heard of NCS before so neither of us knew what he was talking about. Bradley showed us their website to research a little – we was then both amazed by what we had read about them and the opportunities that they offer. We then had a good chat with Brad to make sure he was fully aware and clearly knew what he was asking to sign up to do, which he was so we gave him our full support and permission.

Bradley will be being collected from a central pick-up-point local to us and whisked away to the picturesque Pikes Pool Centre just outside of Birmingham.

His adventure starts off with a few nights camping under canvas. Whilst camping he has been told he will be taking part in team-building activities and high-adrenaline filled challenges.

Activities such as:

High ropes and Jacobs Ladder

Improvised Raft building

Stand up paddle boards

Expedition day

Nightline

Orienteering / scavenger hunt

Bushcraft

Archery

Bradley has a love for all these sort of activities and is really looking forward to them. Some he has already experienced and some he hasn’t.

NCS is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he wants to see if he can rise to his NCS challenges. There are many activities on offer that Bradley has not tried/experienced as yet and he is very keen to give them a go.

Should Bradley be at all worried about anything there will be youth support workers and professional team leaders there to support him. This is not only a relief for Brad but also us parents. Bradley is looking forward to meeting other NCSers and hopefully making some new friends. He is a down-to-earth lad and isn’t at all shy. He is always willing to give anything a try.

Adventure is to be continued

The NCSers will then be heading to Newland Park near Maple Cross to stay in campus dorms. Bradley will be experiencing a student lifestyle – This will be a great experience for him should he intend on continuing his studies.

Brads stay in Campus Dorms

Bradley will have the chance to gain/develop skills in these areas during his stay:

Certificate in First Aid

Mental Health Mindfulness

Budgeting and Money

Understanding your Sexual Health

C.V. Building and interview Skills

Employability Enhancement

Personal Development

Introduction to Deaf Awareness and Sign Language

As you can see, his days when away are going to be busy and action-packed ones. Brad is in for a busy July. In the evenings he will be able to have some down-time and the chance to meet his fellow NCSers more. He will also be able to learn more about himself when away, become, independent and reflect on things he’s learnt.

At the end of the adventure there will be a celebration ceremony where parents are invited to help celebrate the NCSers achievements. This will be a way for Bradley and the others to reflect on their time with NCS and the experiences they had taken part in. Brad will also be able to reconnect with fellow NCSers and share their experiences with each other and then hopefully become future friends.

National Citizen Service

This whole experience to us as parents sounds absolutely amazing. If we are honest we wish they had an experience like this on offer when we was younger. To us Bradley appears head-strong and a go-getter so this experience can only help him build on that and stay focused and be even more determined to make his mark on our community. Bradley has been very busy concentrating on his GCSE exams, this will be a great way for him to take his mind of his things for a while and just enjoy himself and the experiences that await him.

More details about National Citizen Service can be found on their website.

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/bradleys-ncs-adventure/feed/0488Ten reasons to go campinghttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/ten-reasons-to-go-camping/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/ten-reasons-to-go-camping/#respondThu, 14 Jun 2018 13:01:19 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=145Ten reasons to go camping Camping is something we have enjoyed as a family for a couple of years now and we grow to enjoy it more each time we go. We are currently hunting for a new tent so we can enjoy camping trips with Coco our Siberian Husky. Here are ten reasons to […]

Camping is something we have enjoyed as a family for a couple of years now and we grow to enjoy it more each time we go. We are currently hunting for a new tent so we can enjoy camping trips with Coco our Siberian Husky. Here are ten reasons to go camping.

Our top ten reasons are

You learn new skills – Camping comes with a whole load of fun and new skills to be learnt. Preparing the fire, fetching the water, pitching the tent, survival skills, safety etc.

Screen free time – A personal favourite of ours. A camping trip with no screens fastly helps us remember that the important things in life are right in front of us and NOT in our screens!

Health benefits – The list of health benefits of getting outdoors can go on forever but to name a few, vitamin D, good calorie burner, increase endorphin’s, better nights sleep, better circulation, you are more calm and relaxed.

Make memories – Memories are made everyday but the quality time together when camping is priceless. Our teens always talk of the memories made round the camp fire and walks in the woods via torch-light. Today they still laugh about scaring me with their ghost stories.

Experience – Camping is a fantastic experience, one we wished we had experienced from a younger age and grew to love sooner. Connecting with nature the hiking, biking, stargazing and even the exploring. There is so much fun to be had camping.

Happy campers

You find time – Leaving the hustle and bustle of home life and deadlines behind – you find time for what is important in life…..each other!

New activities – You come across new activities that if not already then you grow to enjoy. There are lots of lovely walks to enjoy and a whole range sporting activities to try and lots of new places to visit.

The way it pulls us closer together – Camping has a way of pulling you closer together. Camping involves team work, the pitching up of the tent, fetching fresh water, cooking etc. It also comes with lots of fun to be had in the great outdoors with loved ones.

Destinations – There are so many campsites to choose from, it is fun, affordable and something we would highly recommend. You get to stay in some stunning locations whether it be at a seaside, in the country, the mountains or even along a river.

They are our top ten reasons to go camping. We do hope to enjoy more camping trips again very soon once we have changed our tent.

Camping for us is an inexpensive way to escape our daily stresses of life and busy schedules. Timeout to relax and enjoy the important things in life.

Have you experienced camping yet? if not is it something you would love to experience?

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/ten-reasons-to-go-camping/feed/0145Ten way’s to survive long journeys with teenshttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/ways-to-survive-long-journeys-with-teens/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/ways-to-survive-long-journeys-with-teens/#respondFri, 08 Jun 2018 00:12:14 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=430Ten way’s to survive long journeys with teens Being parents to teenage boys can often be a challenge. One challenge we face quite often is long journeys, we are more often that not travelling long journeys, whether it be to an event, visiting family, going on holiday etc. It isn’t long before the dreaded “are […]

Being parents to teenage boys can often be a challenge. One challenge we face quite often is long journeys, we are more often that not travelling long journeys, whether it be to an event, visiting family, going on holiday etc. It isn’t long before the dreaded “are we nearly there yet” question starts.

Here are ten ways in which we entertain our teens when travelling:

Name the song/artist quiz – We play 10 songs from a CD in the car, we give the boys a pen and paper each and they have to write 1 – 10 on it. We then work our way through the songs and they have to guess the name of the song and the artist. The one with the most correct answers wins.

Pack local attraction information – We like to get our boys involved in our travel and they love to help and be apart of our travel plans so we pack local attraction information of whats to do in the area of where we are travelling to. We let them plan a few trips.

Following on from the tab above, get them to draft up an itinerary of the trip/visit – Once the boys have had a read through the information they like to draft together an itinerary.

One to get everyone laughing. Truth or lie game – A classic game to get you all thinking. It can be a game of two or more players. One player comes up with three different statements about themselves, two are to be a lie but one has to be true. The aim of the game is to guess the true statement.

Licence plate game – Another boredom killer. We each pick a number plate for someone and using the letters within that number plate we have to see how many words we can come up with. The words we pick must contain all the letters within that number plate. We then keep those words on our piece of paper to ourselves and swap number plates until we have all taken turns with each others number plates. At the end we all see what we had come up with using the letters within that number plate. This makes a good thinking game. The one with the longest word at the end wins.

Famous name in the hat – We all write a few famous names on pieces of paper and put them in a pot. We then team up. One team will go first at picking a name out, we get two minutes set on a timer and the first team has to guess the clues given by their player to guess who the person is they are trying to give clues for. If you guess right you pick another name out until the two minutes are up. You can give any clue but you are not allowed to say the person’s name.

Homemade quizzes/questions – Before we set off on our travels we like to make up a few homemade quizzes/questions about our current journey. I like to keep them interested in our journey and most importantly of all aware of where they have been and where we are heading. This quiz/questions can be anything from what motorways are we using, junctions we need, town we are staying in, street name, places we said we are to be visiting etc. A good fun way to learn their new temporary surroundings.

Pack travel board games/cards – For the times they are feeling competitive this is the time for the travel size board/card games to come out. We normally pack a small tray for them to use.

Earphones and a gadget – This is a godsend for the winding down time after the games have all been played. They sometimes like to watch a pre-downloaded movie, or chat with friends on snap chat etc.

Get them to help navigate – When out with the teens on our journeys we sometimes get them to take charge and navigate. This can be when using trains or even walking round a town. This can be great fun and also a great way of learning for the teens.

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/ways-to-survive-long-journeys-with-teens/feed/0430Paddle boardinghttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/paddle-boarding/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/paddle-boarding/#respondWed, 09 May 2018 14:59:35 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=365Paddle boarding How lovely was it to actually have a sunny bank holiday weekend. How did you spend your bank holiday weekend? we thought that we would get the teens outdoors on the Sunday afternoon, their girlfriends also joined us too. We found a lovely shady spot along the river for a picnic. We even […]

How lovely was it to actually have a sunny bank holiday weekend. How did you spend your bank holiday weekend? we thought that we would get the teens outdoors on the Sunday afternoon, their girlfriends also joined us too. We found a lovely shady spot along the river for a picnic. We even took the dogs out with us and stayed in the shade. I say dogs because we are dog fosterers and currently have a foster dog with us until Sunday afternoon which Coco is really enjoying.

Country park – picnic and games

Our day started off with a few family outdoor games at River Lee Country Park. With there being acres of fun to be had we started of with a family game of rounders, disc golf (more on that to follow on the blog soon) the younger ones played football and then we stopped for lunch. Trying to get our boys to all be free at the same time can sometimes prove difficult so we opted for the Sunday, that way it was easier.

It was lovely all spending time together outside in the sunshine, laughing and joking about. Seeing our boys getting on, girlfriends feeling part of the family and joining us too was lovely. It was even nice to be able to take the dogs with us as well as it saved us from having to pop back to check on them. We stayed in the shade and took plenty of water for them, also staying on the grass avoiding hot pavements.

Coco and Goldie loved laying under a tree watching people pass by on their bikes, little children with their families and also LOVED the fuss they was getting from other dog walkers. They was so well-behaved on our family day out it made the day even more a family day with bringing them along too.

Paddle boarding time

After our games and picnic we headed over to the White Water Center which was only minutes walk away. We had pre-booked to experience paddle boarding. With the weather being so hot we thought it would be a refreshing end to our family day out. With having teenage boys it can sometimes prove difficult finding a family day that would grab all their attentions. So this time round we thought we would book a water sports activity seeing as the weather was so nice. At the White Water Center you will find gallons of fun to be had, from rafting on the Olympic course to family paddling on the lake. The boys really enjoyed their experience and LOVED tipping each other up so the other fell in the water.

Paddle boarding was a great way to bring our family together. It was fun seeing who had a better balance, the teens became competitive over who had a better balance, who could go the furthest before falling off and they had races all whilst being active and outdoors experiencing a new sport.

Stand up paddle boarding is a great way to improve your balance, core stability and is a great way to keep fit. It is a great family activity and offers a great workout incorporating great balance, strength and flexibility. Water sports is something that was enjoyed and we will be trying again soon.

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/paddle-boarding/feed/0365Capturing momentshttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/capturing-moments/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/capturing-moments/#respondFri, 04 May 2018 20:41:53 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=337Capturing moments I can quite easily admit that I am obsessed with taking photographs. Every where we go, whether it be to the beach, on holiday, a walk with Coco or even a visit to a family members, I am there with my phone taking photos. Do you find that you have more stored-away photos […]

I can quite easily admit that I am obsessed with taking photographs. Every where we go, whether it be to the beach, on holiday, a walk with Coco or even a visit to a family members, I am there with my phone taking photos. Do you find that you have more stored-away photos within a device somewhere than in a book album?

A huge majority of our photos are sadly either within our phone, on SD cards in our camera or within folders on our computer. I love nothing more than getting our boxes upon boxes of old dusty photo albums down from the loft and sit with the kids and reminisce. The kids also love looking back just to laugh at our fashion back then, but also enjoy looking back at our captured moments that they were too small to remember.

With our boys now being teenagers and into fast sporting activities it is becoming harder to be there capturing those special moments all the time. We have been looking closely at ways to work around that. What has caught our eye is this Action camera. A perfect way to capture moments on the go with Ultra HD 4K recording. Also capture stunning photographs along with lots of other fab functions to make capturing special moments easier.

Taking photos from a sky-view would be awesome, we have also considered a Drone. Do you have one? would you recommend getting one?

We are also looking to update our camera and get something more lightweight and compact. But also takes a great photo. We have been looking at a Nikon DSLR which was recommended to us by a friend. We just need to compare this camera to the camera we have already.

One camera that just grabs my attention is the Instax. I just love the idea of the compact size and the instant photos.

Do you find you are hardly in any of your photo albums? what I have noticed recently is that I am hardly in any family photographs, due to being the one normally taking the photos. This is something that is soon to be corrected. I have tried passing the camera round to other family members but the photo is normally blurry or off-centre as not everyone is familiar with our camera and settings.

Are you one for always taking photos? do you print or store your photos?

***Sponsored post***

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/capturing-moments/feed/0337Coco joins our travel adventureshttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-joins-our-travel-adventures/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-joins-our-travel-adventures/#respondTue, 01 May 2018 17:21:04 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=305Coco joins our travel adventures Back in January we welcomed Coco into our family. Coco is a Siberian Husky girl. She was only 8 weeks old when she joined our family. You can read more about her over on her very own section on our >>family blog<< Although we now have Coco this will NOT […]

Back in January we welcomed Coco into our family. Coco is a Siberian Husky girl. She was only 8 weeks old when she joined our family. You can read more about her over on her very own section on our >>family blog<<

Although we now have Coco this will NOT stop our travels, as we plan to still seek fun an adventure, days out and holidays. If anything we will probably be even more adventurous than before as Huskies are known for their energy so we make sure she is very well exercised.

Since we have had her we have already had many of long walks with her in the countryside, along the river, dog exercise parks and we are planning our first trip to the beach with her very soon, as we have family that live in Clacton-On-Sea so we are planning our visit with Coco.

Coco comes out with us in our car and is crate trained. We started off with short journeys and have gradually been building the journeys up from there. Coco is very much a people dog, she loves nothing more than a fuss made of her. We have been mixing her in with all different kinds of situations when out on our walks. She has had walks along busy pavements by busy roads, crowded places, areas with other pets, walks along the river, been around by cycle paths and parks and so on. We want her to be as socialised as possible so she can join us on our holidays and days-trips where possible and she will hopefully be used to all different environments.

Coco sitting nicely at a pet-friendly cafe.

When taking a pet out on day-trips and on holiday there are things to be considered such as:

Planning ahead: Is the destination pet-friendly? If so try to pre-read their policy and familiarise yourself with it in advance as there may be some areas off-limits to pets. Research the local area and take as much information on local pet-friendly places as possible. Preparation is key. May be best to make contact with a few places before the travel day.

Accommodation: Make sure it is suitably sized, pet-friendly and safe.

Transport: Planning routes in advance, whether motorway or country route. Plan regular stops in advance. Make sure the dog is safely secure in the car and comfortable.

Routine change: Pack blankets, food dishes and own pet toys from home. Try and not make too many changes if possible.

Pre-vet check: Have a chat with the vet and check the travel plans are OK and health wise OK to travel.

Micro chip and collar: Check details are up-to-date on the micro chip. Also check details on the collar tag are visible and easy to read.

Emergency vets: Check local ones and have their details to hand. Best to be prepared just in case.

Weather forecast: If too hot it could make travel difficult. Dogs can really suffer on car journeys. try to keep a window open slightly and allow for extra stops in the shade and take lots of water.

Treatment and vaccinations: Make sure everything is up-to-date. Such as jabs, flea and worm treatment. If on medication make sure they are packed and there is enough for the duration of the stay.

Walks: Research local dog walks and pet-friendly places so the pets can be apart of our holiday as much as possible.

Pet insurance: Double check it is valid and up-to-date. Keep a note of the details, just in case needed.

There is so much to consider when travelling with a pet. There is also lots of packing to do for them as well as ourselves.

Here is a list of what to consider packing for them. I think Coco will need her very own case for:

Leads & harness (these will be checked before travel to check they are safe, usable and fit correctly as she is still growing)

ID tags

Bed

Blankets

Toys

Chews, treats and reward treats

Poop bags

Food & dishes

Towels for those muddy paws

Shampoo

Grooming supplies

Hi-vis for dark evening walks

Any medication

Vet details and microchip number

Pet first aid bag

Stain remover – in case of any unwanted accidents

Help with settling her on our travels:

We are yet to travel with her on holiday but do have a few breaks booked already which we are all looking forward to (more on those to follow). We will be taking our time to settle her into our accommodation and helping her to feel safe and secure. Upon arrival we will check our temporary home to make sure it is Coco safe before letting her in, just to make it safe and secure for her.

We will be trying our best not to change her current routines of meal times and walks etc. Consistency should help a great deal. We will be taking her own bed, blankets, bowls and toys with us to keep familiar items and smells close to her.

We will give her the time and space she needs to go and explore our new temporary home. She will NEVER be left on her own in our temporary accommodation as this could cause her too much unnecessary distress.

We will also give her the time to rest from all our family fun and adventures together. Dogs get tired too!

Safety on holiday:

Keeping safe whilst out and about is important. Coco will not be let off her lead unless in a secure area for dogs to do so. A new unfamiliar area to us can have hidden potential hazards that we won’t know about. So rather be safe than sorry.

A close eye will be kept on Coco’s behaviour as this will help us know whether she is ok. She may be stressed/ill so this will give us signs.

We will make sure we are all prepared for walks day and evening as well as prepared for all weathers.

Be prepared for all weather conditions. Especially if it is going to be hot. We will make sure we keep Coco safe, cool and protected from the heat whilst making sure she has access to water at all times.

Learn basic dog first aid.

Forward planning and being prepared as much as possible really would help to make travels much more enjoyable, as well as ensure our Coco stays happy on our adventures.

Do you have a pet that you take on family holidays? where would you recommend for a pet-friendly holiday?

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/coco-joins-our-travel-adventures/feed/0305Lunch with Arla Fibre yogurt #GetFussedhttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/arla-fibre-yogurt/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/arla-fibre-yogurt/#respondThu, 19 Apr 2018 16:25:47 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=284Lunch with Arla Fibre yogurt #GetFussed I was recently invited along with other bloggers to London to #GetFussed – Arlas new product lunch. Not only that but to also enjoy a lovely 3-course lunch which was absolutely amazing. The purpose of the meal was to help us learn more about the new Arla fibre yogurt […]

I was recently invited along with other bloggers to London to #GetFussed – Arlas new product lunch. Not only that but to also enjoy a lovely 3-course lunch which was absolutely amazing.

The purpose of the meal was to help us learn more about the new Arla fibre yogurt and to also learn more about ways of improving our daily fibre intake. Do you know how much fibre you should have in a day? I will soon tell you shortly.

At our lunch we were served 3 courses, all of our meals looked very similar but there was a difference, some meals contained more fibre in than others. Some meals had different ingredients in compared to the person next to us. It was very hard to tell the difference between the meals until the desserts was served.

My meal started off with one of my all time favorite dishes, a very tasty risotto. A risotto with chorizo crumb, coffee, Parmesan and baby basil. Oh, my it was so tasty. To have this same dish but with a higher fibre intake simply use whole grain rice instead of white rice.

I then went on to enjoy this lovely roast lamb cutlet, croquette of lamb with a salsa Verde and potato gratin. I so wish I could cook like this.

Do you leave room for dessert? I do, how could you resist this lovely French fruit tart with kiwi, red grapes, cherries and honey’d natural yogurt. Now how good does this look?

To make this a higher fibre dessert you can do this by simply changing the crust to a whole grain one, the yogurt to an Arla fibre and changing the fruit choice to have more berries and figs.

Arla Fibre can be enjoyed in small 150g and large 450g pots. 150g available in pineapple & passion fruit and raspberry. 450g available in strawberry and blueberry. Each 150g serving contains 4.7g of fibre to help you reach your daily fibre intake. Arla are currently working on a plain yogurt and we should hopefully see this in stores soon. If you would like to know more visit >Arla Foods<

Arla Fibre yogurt not only taste great but are a great source of fibre too. A tasty yogurt to be enjoyed with added fibre, but without the taste or texture of fibre – meaning it can go completely unnoticed. Nothing bland, brown or boring in sight. Fibre for people who can’t be fussed!

After our meal there was a talk with the Arla fibre manager himself and then a dietitian. We then watched a short video clip, featuring Dr Ranj and Sally Lindsay, Wow what an eye opener it all was. Did you know the average Brit in the UK only eats about 18g of fibre a day? The afternoon was a real eye opener for me to how easy it is to up our intake of fibre with such little effort but a few simple changes to what goes into our shopping basket.

I will openly admit we could certainly do with eating more healthily in our house. Our son is currently studying sports, health and nutrition at college, he is always telling me off for what goes into our basket. From now on I will be most definitely making healthier swaps so we can eat healthier as a family.

The government advise that we eat 30g of fibre a day. Here are a few tips to help you reach that 30g

Do you tend to find yourself picking in the daytime? Carrot sticks are packed with fibre

Do you have a sweet tooth? When picking a fruity snack to eat during the day, instead of reaching for the grapes (1.3g), go for sweet strawberries (3.8g) instead for a fibre-full fruit bowl.

Do you love to bake? Like your sugar-free baking? Swap sultanas or raisins for dates in your next cake, equally as tasty but has more fibre. Arla Fibre supports a balanced digestion and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Do you eat enough Fibre in your diet?

#GetFussed

I was invited to lunch by Arla Fibre and paid for my time.

]]>https://suitcaseandadventures.com/arla-fibre-yogurt/feed/0284Camping trip – Breydon waterhttps://suitcaseandadventures.com/camping-trip-breydon-water/
https://suitcaseandadventures.com/camping-trip-breydon-water/#respondSun, 16 Jul 2017 21:19:52 +0000http://suitcaseandadventures.com/?p=233Family camping – Breydon water Our camping trips have seen us pitch up now at many of lovely locations, from the New Forest – Cotswold’s and Maldon, our latest camping trip see us pitching up at the lovely Breydon Water camp site in Norfolk. We love our camping trips and have been on many of […]

Our camping trips have seen us pitch up now at many of lovely locations, from the New Forest – Cotswold’s and Maldon, our latest camping trip see us pitching up at the lovely Breydon Water camp site in Norfolk.

We love our camping trips and have been on many of trips now. Sadly not all our family are so keen. When taking to the internet I was hunting for somewhere that could possibly cater for this situation. We wanted to find somewhere where we could holiday together but not meaning we had to leave our tent behind…..The hunt was on!

Breydon water offered caravans to hire as well as having a camping field for us campers to pitch up, this was perfect. For us campers there was a shower/toilet block, dish washing facilities, electric hook up and even a shop for any small forgotten items – thankfully we remembered the beds this time and they wasn’t left on top of the wardrobe, yes this has happened before…whooops!

There was 2 caravans hired from family members, sister and family in one and parents in another. In total there was 14 of us holidaying on camp with only a few seconds walk from each other, how amazing was that. Our family was very pleased with their caravans, they said they was very well equipped and extremely comfortable.

The site had an outdoor swimming pool, arcade, club house, hire shop, restaurant, adventure playground and a sports court. There was entertainment on right through until late, this did see us being last to leave on one or two nights. With us not having young children we didn’t enter the club house until later in the evening. We would have fun by the tent until the entertainment for the younger ones had finished and then meet my sister and her children in there later in the evening.

the kids loved the entertainment

One thing that did amaze me was one evening when leaving the club house our youngest niece (3 yrs old) had fallen asleep in the club house all partied out from the excitement of the evening. We was seen with Lexi in arms and was informed that the camp provide a site taxi to drop you back in situations like this. We thought this was so kind and thoughtful. All staff was very helpful and kind. They was more than happy to help us with local area information.

Admittedly we did not go to the club house every night but we did go a few times. When we did go over we had a great time. On one occasion Lee was pulled up to join in the fun competition for that evening, it ended with the conga then followed by sing-off where our team (team Lee) won a bottle of bubbly.

On another occasion myself and my sister was very kindly entered into the Miss Breydon water competition thanks boys! good job we had a glass or four of champers before that happened. We did not win but we had such a good laugh taking part. I mean doing the can-can on stage after having a few glasses of champers is certainly a holiday memory that wont be forgotten in a hurry.

With the club house being close to our tent and families caravans none of us heard any noise or felt disturbed by noise at all. The site had perfect lighting for our walk back to our tent from the club house. Breydon water is separated into two sites. You have the Bure village and the Yare Village.

The two sites I’d say are about a 10 minute walk from each other. We stayed on the Yare Village which is more for families whereas the Bure village has a gym and an indoor pool, it is said to be the more relaxing site of the two. We had full use of both sites if we wished but the Yare village grabbed the teens attention that bit more.

We was very lucky weather wise meaning we could enjoy a lovely walk to Burgh Castle which was only a short 5 minutes walk from our tent. We also managed a lovely day in Great Yarmouth which was only a short drive from camp. We used to holiday a lot at Great Yarmouth when the teens was younger so a lot of reminiscing took place which was lovely.

The kids really enjoyed an afternoon in the outdoor pool and loved the water slide. The sun was shinning so we took advantage and relaxed by the pool for the afternoon. The hire shop was also visited and the kids all shared a family bike and toured the camp site.

I am so pleased to have found Breydon Water Park Resorts, we had such a great time still being able to holiday with family and we was lucky enough to make yet another amazing trip with our tent as we are known for having the camping bug. Even though family members are not into camping (sleeping in a tent) they loved all the fun we had around the tent. We now have a few more camping memories to add to our fastly growing collection. The hunt is now on for our next big family adventure.

Have you ever been camping? if not is it something you would consider?